92

Rise and shine, Mr. Freeman

Half-Life 2 is easily one of the best gaming sequels out there that lives up to it's hype with great story, fantastic first-person action and graphics that were ahead of it's time. It's got an interesting theme due to the world changing from the events of the first Half-Life, and treats you with a cast of great characters and enemies to face off against, adding to the excitement.
75% off for this game is a steal and for those who want to start getting into the series or into FPS gaming, this is a fantastic start.

82

It's...alright. Enjoyable, even. But not the best game ever.

Most people herald this game as the second coming of their preferred messiah, but I just don't see it. The game is, like I said, enjoyable. The game runs on Valve's token engine, the Source engine, so the gunplay is nice and fluid. The Gravity Gun is fun for a while, but it seems like a gimmick later on when you have to physics puzzles with it. Speaking of physics puzzles, they aren't really well implemented or encapsulate the fun of the gunplay. They feel gimmicky. The vehicle segment are easily the worst part about the game; they control awfully, and shouldn't even be there. That said, the game's atmosphere is solid and the enemies are fun to shoot, except for the human soldiers, who seem way too OP in the early game, but in the lategame, they die like popcorn. The characters, especially your female companion, are well flushed out for the most part, but its no Bioshock Infinite.
It's pretty great, but not the best game I've ever played. For this, I give it an 8.2/10.

99

Everybody has their idea of "BEST GAME EVER" - this is the real

One of the best PC games ever made, period. More then tops the original. Great graphics but that's just the beginning of the HL 2 world. You get to be Gordon Freeman, the silent hero in the world that has been conquered by aliens in the "7 Hour War" (you can read a blurb about this on a newspaper clipping on the wall, when you get to your friend Dr Vance's (voiced by Robert Guillame of TV fame) lab...the aliens have formed a "Combine" of aliens working with human "police", your enemy through the entire huge adventure. The aliens have somehow also, prevented humans from REPRODUCING, there is not one single child in City 17, that is how scary these bastards are.
This world is revealed to you bit by bit and your job is to fight your way through "City 17" accomplishing many and various objectives on your way to "the core", your missions will be explained as you go and you will visit dozens of different environments and fight dozens of enemies - human, partly human, aliens of many kinds, and even machines - with the occasional help of your attractive but tough girl accomplice, Alex (Dr Vance's daughter). None of this will make much sense until you play the game - and what a game this is! I won't reveal spoilers, but you will be truly amazed at the array of weapons and vehicles that you will get introduced to along the way, by the resistance (humans that are still fighting the combine).
This is a game not to be missed, the gameplay is near perfect, almost never gets dull, with never-ending, always changing challenges and amazing new weapons and environments introduced as you go. If you've never played it, please don't miss out - there are two more stand-alone episodes that don;t require the base game to play, are equally a s good but much shorter...this though, is the one to start with, will keep you busy for hours and superior to almost any game still out there.
"We don't go to Ravenholm" (except when we do, and then it's only at night, armed with lots of big circular saw blades).

100

GENRE DEFINING MASTERPIECE

Half life 2 more than technically and graphically upgraded version of original half life, the game may not as hectic as the original one but every element of game perfectly crafted.Hl2's world design is wonderfully integrated with gameplay and never makes you bored.Also game objectives are constantly changing for example you start without any weapon then you use a boat or fight with zombies designer of hl2 really knows how to keep gameplay interesting.Pacing is also perfect.As story game prefers to tell everything on flow of game without using cutscenes.This is best way for a game imo. Technically source engine's visuals are stunning and cand still hold up to these days and hl2 is the one of first games that has one of nex generations physics of its age.Also game's system requiretments are very budget friendly works fine on low edge computers with near seventh generation consoles quality.
Half life 2 is an amazing game.Every video game fan should play.

80

Great and Fun!

Half-Life 2 is great game with good action and a great story to it. It may look a little dated but its still a great game to play since its very cheap now.
+ The story is very good and adds lots of depth,
+ The game looks alright but when it came out it would have been very good as there is so many details thoughout the landscape.
+ The voice acting is spot on and draws you in.
+ The music and sound effects are good but there is not much. I am going to give it a plus because what there is makes it good. Quality over quantity.
+ Controls are simple yet work very well which is expected.
+ The game is about 10 to 15 hours. It depends on if you take your time or not.
+ Having Steam Achievements and Trading Cards adds reply value but not much.
- As I was saying there is not much reply value. There is the story and thats it. But you can do it again if you like to collect Steam Achievements.
-Because the game is just story, There is just one path which you have to go. This can be okay but there is not one part were you choose two ways.
Half-Life 2 is a good game and have a great story to it. I would give this game an 8 out of 10 and I would recommend it to anyone of has Steam.

98

Greetings Mister Freeman

Half Life 2 is the direct sequel to the original game that started it all back in the days.
Well it is “direct” only from Gordon Freeman’s perspective but it’s been years since the Black Mesa incident has occurred. The world has changed a lot. Aliens are everywhere. A new government is in charge. And rebels are trying their best to change this.
That’s when Gorden enters the scene in City 17.
Because of that Half Life 2 feels a lot different from its big brother. It’s less creepy and has a better, more elaborate, universe. It’s interesting to see where the story goes and what happened to characters from the first Half Life.
Gameplay-wise, the game is just as good as the original. The puzzles here are focused on your new tool, the gravity gun. It’s also a valuable weapon, useful to throw things at your enemies.
It’s linear game but strangely it feels vast.
Unfortunately the ending is quite unsatisfying. In fact you will need to buy Episode 1 and 2 to know what comes next.
It’s great game. Too bad there is no Half Life 3 at the moment.

90

Shows some rust, still a great game

As others have stated, yes, Half-Life 2 might not be as incredible as it once was. It was so influential that many other games have taken what it did and made it their own. That being said, it is still a great game. If you've played other Source engine titles you know what the gameplay feels like; not weighty or realistic, but it still feels good. The graphics are still solid and the sound is excellent. I especially enjoyed the music, which was varied in style to fit the mood (be it tense or calm). If nothing else you owe it to yourself to experience the story which so many people have enjoyed over the years. It's just one of those obligatory games, and if you're someone who can appreciate even older titles, you're in for a treat.
When it comes to my rating, I think it's important to rate games in a sort of bubble. Other games have improved on the individual elements of Half-Life 2, but as one piece, and for the time, you just can't beat it.

90

One of the best of all time

The mid 2000’s in my opinion was the best time for the first person shooter genre in years. The last time a game had truly innovated was probably Half-Life in the late 1990’s, and Half-Life 2 took it to the next level in 2004.
Using the Source engine, HL2 has, in my opinion, always left a bit to be desired in terms of looks. There are definitely contemporary games in the era of its release, like Far Cry and Doom 3 – to an extent – that have the game beat in terms of graphical supremacy. Having said that though, the textures in the game are of fair quality. It's just the character models that could be better. However, the facial animation is practically unbeatable.
But HL 2 was always on top of its game in terms of its use of technology. Neither Far Cry nor Doom 3 can match its wondrous use of physics, which had been virtually unseen in games before that time, which provide unparalleled interactivity that can't help but extend the singleplayer campaign’s longevity, even today.
That and the deep story and fleshed out characters that you meet in the game as well as the unconventional architectural style of the places you find yourself in, and the truly bizarre situations you face, only help to bring you into this world. It’s a world that feels alive. It's one of the few games in history that I feel a connection to, whether it's while I'm playing it or just thinking out it.
To add to this, the game has a great soundtrack that complements the emotions intended to be experienced throughout the game.
Getting this game today isn't a bad idea at all. There are many mods out there for it, some of which overhaul the game's looks and update them to a more modern standard, and plenty of custom maps to play around with too. In my opinion it is still a great game.

80

Doesn't Live Up to the Posthumous Hype

This is not a bad game. This is not a great game. This is a slightly above average FPS with some puzzle elements. it is not the golden masterpiece forth from the golden loins of the Newell. It is a well put-together game, with interesting-ish enemies and tight mechanics. But the game doesn't go beyond that. It checks off the boxes for a good FPS, and stops there. Very few bugs, many mods, and a few sequels means this game is worth picking up,and worth your time, but little more than that.

95

You must play this!

This is an awesome game, just completely awesome, everything here is great! It's a 2004 game, but it's still an amazing experience when you play it for the first time, mainly because the gameplay is very addictive and cool. This is one of the best games I've ever played on my life, I only didnt like the big amount of puzzles on the game, but it's not a big problem.
I have nothing left to say, what are you waiting for? Buy this awesome classic! ;)

98

One of a Kind...

This game came out about 10 years ago, and it still thrives as an amazing fps-shooter. For its time, Half-Life is amazing with its brilliance and out of the box thinking. The story line formed well with Half-Life 1, and it instantly gained thumbs up for its smooth game play. Personally, I've been playing Half-Life for many years, and it never seems to get boring. Half-Life is brilliantly designed and executed the game very well. Overall, Half-Life is an excellent fps-shooter and it is highly recommended!

65

Great for warm fuzzies, not great if you play newer games before

Half-life 2 is a game a just recently tried because of how much long-time pc gamers constantly talk about how amazing it is. I never played it when it first came out and I have played tons of games since that date. Because of that, half-life 2 seemed boring to me and was nothing I had not scene a thousand times before, but done better in other games.
To Half-life 2's credit, when it came out, a lot of this stuff had never been done before, or at least not like this. It was truly innovative. So for those who played it when it first came out, 100% buy this game to have the warm fuzzies. But for those who have not played it but have played modern games, this game will seem like nothing special. You will feel like Half life 2 takes you down narrow corridors with gameplay that is extremely linear and that the physics are awful and completely unrealistic. The graphics now feel dated, but aren't too bad. The sound is kind of bad but i'm sure was great back then.
So this isn't a bad review for the game, just a not so great review of a play through by a gamer who never played it when it was really something that stood out.

98

A not-so-old classic

HL2 is a sci-fi FPS like no other. It has a really great narrative and it actually catches the player's interest from the very beginning. Instead of nonsense violence, you get a well thought game with various scenarios where you gotta think to make that violence help you get through.
All in all, an amazing game and a great adition to anyones library.

97

One of the best games ever made

Half Life 2 is a FPS which I believe shaped the genre. It is an amazing, well-made game and I would definitely recommend it to you.
You are Gordon Freeman, a rebel fighting the system. He's got a deep background which makes story of HL2 so amazing. If you overlook the kinda old rusty graphics, I am sure you will enjoy this game.

85

Very good, but not the best ever

When Half Life came out, it was amazing and mind-blowing and did all sorts of new things. When Half Life 2 came out, it didn't do much new, but it did everything that its predecessors had, only it did it better and more polished.
Now, there have been plenty of games that have come out since that are even better, but that doesn't necessarily diminish this game. A gamer who played it when it came out will get the warm fuzzies, and a gamer who hadn't will enjoy it but think it was overhyped.
Of course, if Half Life 3 ever really does come out, then this will 100% need a revisit.

97

Wake up Mr.Freeman, wake up and smell the ashes.

You are looking at the game that defined FPS genre in many ways and after 10 years, this game hasn't aged a bit. Reason for that? Simple. An unmatched lvl design (possible the best one i seen in any video game), memorable and fun gameplay that you will remember forever. Only bad side of this gem is it length, i'm talking about at least 7-8 hours to finish. All in all, this game is classic that every gamer that had ever touched a fps shooter should play. Period.

91

The best game of the last 15 years

Once you set foot in Citadel 21, there is no coming back. The enviroments are stunning and the story has a unique narrative that I have never seen in any other videogame. One of the best parts its how it demands you to think and be fast like the old FPS games. Definitely a must have!

96

10 Years On, Still Fantastic

Half life 2 may be an old game, but it still holds up and even beats some of todays shooters. The gravity gun is freaking awesome and its fun to fling barrels at enemies. A great and enthralling story that leaves you wanting more (which is where the episodes come in) While graphically it isnt as shiny as todays shooters, the gameplay sets it apart.

100

It is a Legend

Many games are good, but this one made a difference, its graphics were out of time, the story and mechanics are excellent, but also this was a chance to test source, valve's graphic motor, and all what it could do, explosions, weapons, cars and boats, a lot of entities in a same place, so to sum up, Half Life is a game that won't be forgotten

100

10 years later, this is still a masterpiece

At the time this game came out in 2004, the graphics, the face modeling, the gameplay were revolutionary and seen as far ahead of its time. While the graphics and what not have aged 10 years later, they did receive an update around 2010 to add achievements and put in the new engine.
But enough about graphics. This is a must own. A timeless classic for any FPS fan. It's worth playing on multiple playthroughs to see what you might have missed and catch a lot of the perception on the word "time" as its talked about in the game.
FPS games have been copying half life 2 for a decade now, and we're all still waiting for Half life 3 / Half life 2: Episode 3 now. Get in on the action, pick up the Half life anthology/collection, play through all of the single player campaigns if you haven't yet. This is not a game you want to miss.

95

Best FPS - it just is

This is a FPS game, which has everything we love games for. Atmosphere, graphics, physics, puzzles, horror moments, shooting moments, great level design as well great gameplay itself. This game is perfect, there's everything, perfectly balanced fps. Maybe the plot is not clear enough, but gameplay alone provides so much that story is not even such important. Classic.

100

Definition of Video Game

Honestly speaking it will not be full long review because if you never heard of this game called very often best game ever made you had to live under a rock. In this case all i will tell you is go and buy it, even after 10 + years its still better then modern shooters that are releasing nowadays. It was ground breaking back then and nothing can beat it up to this day.
Absolutely must buy 10/10

94

Showed the Way Forward

HL2 came around at a time when fps games where stagnating a bit. It showed us how to keep it fresh by adding physics, great lip-syncing for its time and a breathtaking world made alive by the new Source engine.
There were just so many things that went right with this game I don't know where to begin. The combine was an intriguing enemy that offered many variations of enemies. Many NPCs were met along the way and many weapons which were all useful in different situations. Not to mention Gravity Gun, which was just SO cool as it was the first of its kind in fps games.
As much as could be said about the base game, there is also the side of HL2 that must be mentioned and that is the moddability. A huge array of mods have been released for the game, some as good in quality as AAA games.
But the main game has also very good replayability factor in it, still. If you have not experienced HL2 yet, I suggest you try it, if only to see where many of the tropes in this days video game genre originate from.

96

Possibly the best FPS made

To start with, Half Life 2 is a classic game. I am sure many of you will know that it is one of the most decorated games of all time and for a good reason too. The Source engine that it runs on allows for a very fulfilling game play experience, and it has a good range in the level of difficulty within the puzzles on each chapter. To add to that, it doesn't need a super computer to run it, unlike some FPS games on the market and the graphics are good, especially when you put them all up to max. Overall 96/100

100

The sequel to one of the best games in history

Half-Life 2 puts the player back in the shoes, or rather Hazard Suit, of Gordon Freeman. This game, pretty much like its predecessor, set a standard in FPS games, if not in gaming in general.
This game is set some time after the events of the original game. The intro alone is breath-taking. For starters, we learn that everything did not go well at the end of the game, as we find an oppressed Earth, under the rule of the Combine. As the game progresses, we learn more and more details about what happened while Gordon was in stasis, but these are only bits and pieces of information. Not only do we learn this from conversations, but from the environments itself; by exploring, one will find small details revealing how the life was under the new role.
Now, as far as gameplay goes, there have been some improvements over the original game. There are new weapons, the most noticeable being the Gravity Gun, which provides a lot of freedom during combats, as you can use any object that's lying on the ground as a weapon, and it's also essential for some puzzles. The variety of weapons, and their different secondary functions, makes all of them viable, even in the late stages of the game.
Another addition to the gameplay are vehicles. There are two sections that involve them; the first one is the Airboat section in Water Hazard; and then there's the Buggy in Highway 17 and Sandtraps.
I could talk about this game the whole day, but it's better to experience it than to be told about it. Believe me when I say, you'll enjoy this game.

87

"An Innovating FPS"

As a first person shooter, Half life 2 has innovating design and introduces a new standard to the overall gameplay experiences.
Gameplay
In Half life 2, you do so much more than just blast random goons. From the get go, you offered the chance to explore the world around you (yes, this includes bumping into the guards causing their aggression). Once you've received your armour and first weapons, you can start having fun with the shooting and physics mechanics.
Story
I won't spoil the story for you, but it involves the linear going after the evil character, but with the occasional plot twist and exciting side missions.
Design
The graphics in half life 2 are pretty well done. The animations are smooth, the speech and character emotions are well portrayed, and each level feels not only unique but purposeful.
Overall, it's an innovating FPS, and something that sets the benchmark apart from modern & linear first person shooters.
87/100

96

Valve's Signature

When you think of valve, what comes to mind first? No, I'm not talking about Steam, but that does come to mind too. I'm talking about Half-Life, the game of all games. I mean, this game is just incredible with it's story. It's an absolute classic that you will always play and never get bored of.
I just wish they would hurry it up and make a part 3 to add onto he series, but I'm pretty sure it's not coming anytime soon. They're more focused now on their Steam machines, which is understandable. Do buy this game. I repeat; DO BUY THIS GAME!!!

96

Must-Play for Gravity Gun Alone!

Half-Life 2 is a classic, which holds out exceptionally well years after release. Exceptional storytelling and a good balance of action and exploration, make this an enjoyable experience from start to finish. However, the experience is more cinematic than explorative, and protagonist’s inability to communicate takes away from overall immersion. This is where the game shows its age, while the graphics are still top notch, game mechanics belong to the 90s and 00s. In other words, it is a great FPS with a deep story, but not much interactivity or choice. Oh, and Gravity Gun!

94

What hasn't been said before about this?

The best FPS, revolutionised a lot of things within the genre, from the gravity gun, gameplay mechanics and deep storyline for a first-person shooter.
If you haven't played or experienced this game, what are you doing? Play it now!

98

An all-time FPS classic

Everything about this is epic, the plot, the events, the soundtrack, the enemies, the character development... Everything is perfect on this game, I'm not lying, I really did feel like I was into the City 17 world, even more if you use nowaday's technology like Oculus Rift or similar.
It has quite a variety of hard puzzles and you'll most likely to get stuck most of the times if you don't search the map really carefully. So... A little time spending on a single map is most likely to happen.
Simple utopia and zombie apocalypse world bundled together in a good way and you'll get a good awesome story as Half-Life 2, a really must buy game for everyone who still didn't play this yet.

95

Atmospheric classic

Half Life 2 is one of those types of first person shooters that have a great atmosphere.
And one place in the game unsettled a lot of players the first time they played the game and that place is Ravenholm.
That place is an eerie ghost town where Headcrab zombies roam the streets and there are devious traps set to kill anything or anyone unlucky enough to get caught in them.
And of course this is also the game that gave us the outstanding Gravity Gun which brought a whole new level to games when it came to physics puzzles as well as combat, yes you can pick up barrels and such to throw at any unlucky enemy infront of you.
Also, you might wanna check out the two expansion packs for the game as they progress the story of the game further.

95

An Absolute Classic

An all time classic. Even after playing through Half-Life 2 countless times, I still get a great deal of fun out of playing it. Almost everything about the game is top notch: the levels, characters, music, sound and graphical style. The game's physics were at the time unheard of and still even today are quite good in how you can use the gravity gun to pick up and throw objects at enemies and to solve puzzles. As you play, you will see the characters develop and you will start to care about them and how they interact. The whole game being a long continuous level is also really cool as you can clearly see how the whole game links together. If I were to nitpick the game, the vehicle sections are a little too long, especially the car levels, but this is just a minor complaint really. If you haven't played this yet where have you been?!?!?

98

One of the best FPS

One of the best first person shooters that I have played. It has a long single player campaign and gives you some fun weapons to deal with variety of enemies. Environment is very interactive unlike many other games. Graphics are good enough to provide a decent gameplay experience. Very good story and the presentation is excellent so you feel immersed. I have played this multiple times and still enjoy it.

95

Game of the decade

Who hasn't played this game yet ? Like seriously before reading this go and play it.One of the greatest games ever created and game of the decade.Valve has never disappointed with any of their games and after HL1,HL2 is the next best thing.For a game that released in 2004 the graphics are great.Valve's Source engine is first introduced in Half Life 2 and Episode 1 and 2 after that.The main protagonist is yet again Gordon Freeman and almost at the beginning of the game you are in trouble again as usual.Probably the best gun in a video game is the physics gun with which you can pick up and throw light and heavy objects.If you still haven't played the Half Life games go and pick them up they are definetely worth the money.

98

WOW!

This game was way beyond its time...I played it recently and it is still a great game!
I am one of the few people in this world that have not played Half-Life 1, so I have nothing else to really base this game off of.
When I started playing I thought "yea people said this was cool, but that was like 10 years ago so it probably sucks..." I could not have been more wrong.
The controls with keyboard and mouse are as good as any FPS could be (not bad!). I prefer to play with a controller (yea yea I'm a filthy casual) and it is smooth. The graphic are good, for example when you see water in the game it is beautiful! The characters and story in the game are very memorable. After about 10 minutes of game play...when you first get a crow bar and start bashing anything you can find... you will love this game.
If you like FPS or great story games, this is for you! Also I am not normally a FPS fan (because I am a casual gamer) but this is by far the best one I have ever played!